Techno-Economic Evaluation of Photocatalytic H2S Splitting

Abstract

The removal of the noxious H2S from natural gas remains a challenging task in the oil and gas industry. Different H2S splitting technologies are proposed and investigated based on the techno-economic analysis. Herein, the photocatalysis route for H2S splitting represents a potential technology that is not yet fully analyzed. The present study reports a techno-economic analysis of hydrogen production from H2S via photocatalysis. Guided by the previous experimental result on H2S splitting, Aspen Plus software is used to design and simulate the proposed plant. An economic analysis is performed with CapCost software to estimate the plant capital expenditure (CAPEX) and operational expenditure (OPEX) and the cost of hydrogen production. At 0.485 t H2 per h, the process CAPEX is about 105 M$, and OPEX is 143 M$ per year. At a levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH) production of 1860 $ per t H2, the proposed plant will be able to break even at the end of the plant life. Sensitivity analysis reveals that the process OPEX and price of hydrogen are strongly dependent on the cost of aqueous NaOH. These findings are potentially useful for oil and gas industries looking to incorporate an emerging technology like the presented one in refineries.